Safety device for elevators



Mar. 20, 1923.

I C. PLATZ SAFETY. DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Apr. 2, 1920 Mar. 20, 1923. 1,448,978 c. PLATE SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS Filed Apr. 2, 1920 2 sheets-sheet 2 61km was,

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prying: em may Application filed April 2,

To all whom it"may concern Be it known that I. Crmnnns FLATZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Safety Devices for Elevators; and I do hereby declare the following to be full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of refer ence marked thereon, which form a part of this specification 'lhe object of this invention is to provide a novel construction of elevator safety mechanism comprising a grating disposed at the sides of the elevator shaft, at the top thereof, for the purpose of preventing pen sons stepping or falling into said shaft.

The object more particularly is to provide elevator safety mechanism which is auto matically operatable by the elevator itself as it approaches the top of the elevator shaft The accompanying drawings clearly disclose the invention in its preferred form, like reference characters designating corresponding parts throughout the several views. Briefly described:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of my elevator safety mechanism in operative position with the elevator at the side-walk level,

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the mechanism constituting my invention,

Figure 3 is a view in bottom plan of said mechanism in closed position, as viewed by a person on the elevator and looking up,

Figure 4 is a sectional view of certain of the structural parts of my mechanism, and Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 5-5 Figure 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings:

1, 1, designate the usual doors at the top of the elevator shaft, which are hinged at 2, 2 to side beams 3, 3. Said doors 1, 1, when lowered from the open position thereof, as shown in Figure 1, to a horizontal or closed position, cover the elevator shaft at the top thereof and thus prevent people olobjects falling thereinto.

4i designates the floor of the elevator, which moves in the elevator shaft 5. Said carries at its ends ears 6, to which are FOR ELEVATORS.

1920. serial No. 370,692.

secured an approximately bow-shaped member 7, as shown clearly in Figure 1. As will be seen, the curved portion of the member 7 is adapted to strike, against the doors 1, l as the elevator rises, thus forcing said doors open.

At one or both sides of theelevator shaft 5, is an extensible gate 8, formed of pivoted members after the manner of lazy-tongs. Each gate is in two sections, as shown, and one end of each section is secured to a sleeve 9, enclosing a guide bar or track 10, and is also secured to a collar 11, encircling an end-rod 12, secured to the sleeve 9. The sleeve 9 carries a tubular bearing 9 having an ar-cuate slot 9, in which works a pin 9*,

carried by'the rod 12 through the bottom thereof, preventing disengagement of the rod 12 from said bearing.

Either end of each gate-section is pivotally secured, as at 13, to a bar 1 1, provided toward its upper end with a slot 15, in which works a pin 16, carried by this end of the gate section. One of said bars 14;, toward the fore end thereof, carries a pivoted latch 14, adapted to rest in registering top notches 14 14., in the flanges 14", 14", of

the bars 1 1, 141, when the latter are in vertical position, thus tending to hold the gates firmly in upright position.

The member. 12 carries toward one end thereof, a button 17, having a swiveled con nection with said member 12. The button 17 is connected with the member 12 by a pin 18. Said pin 18 Slides in a longitudinally extending cam slot 19 in a cam track 20, disposed on the under surface of the door 1, and spaced therefrom by means of brackets 21.

A suitable manually-actuated catch 22 may be provided on the door 1 to engage with the member 12, and the track 19, to hold the door 1 in open position against accidental closing thereof.

in operation, when it is desired to close the doors 1, 1, the latch22 is released and the elevator started downward. Since the doors 1, 1, rest in a convergently inclined position against the sides of the bow-shaped member 7, the doors will gradually close as the bow-shaped portion of the member 7 passes transversely along said doors. As said doors close, the buttons 17 ride upward between the track 19 and the doors, until the buttons reach the curved portion of said track, when the button pin 18 is forced to Ill) turn or move on the are of a circle, swingin said button around: said curved portion of the track, whence the pin follows the portion of said track parallel with the edge 22 thereof, thereby folding the gates inward and downward. As the doors continue their downward movement, the gates are contracted into the position shown in Figure 3. WVhen the elevator ascends, the reverse motion takes place and the gates are brought from a position horizontal with respect to the ground, to a position at right angles thereto, said gates being extended, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Preferably, each of the gate bars or posts 14:, is cut away longitudinally intermediate the ends thereof, as shown at 25, so that when the gates are closed, the adjacent pins 24: will not contact with said bars 14. V

WVhile, in compliance with the Revised Statutes of the United States relating to patents, I have described with great particularity, a concrete embodiment of the underlying principles of my invention, it is to be understood that such embodiment is merely illustratory or exemplary, and that the invention is susceptible of many modifications, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention, or necessarily sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim to be new is:

i. The combination with oppositely hinged hatches of a collapsible foldable gate composed of reticulated pivoted bars disposed at the side of the hatchway and movable from an inoperative position in a plane parallel with the top ofthe hatchway to a position at right angles thereto, and means controlled by the moving of said hatches from normal collapsed and folded position thereof, to an extended and upright operative position.

2. The combination with hinged doors adapted to close the collapsible top of a shaft, of a collapsible and foldable gate composed of reticulated pivoted bars disposed at one side of the shaft at the top thereof, and operating means carried by said doors and operable by the opening and closing of said doors, to move said gate from an inoperative collapsed and folded position to an extended and upright operative position, and vice versa.

3. The combination, with hinged doors adapted to close the top of a shaft, of a collapsible and foldable gate composed of ticulated pivoted bars disposed at one side of the shaft, at the top thereof, operating means carried and operable by the opening and closing of said doors, to move said gate from an inoperative collapsed and folded position to an extended and upright 'operative position, and vice versa, said means including a cam track carried by each of said doors, and members carried by said gate and guided by and moving along said cam track.

4. The combination with hinged doors adapted to close the top of a shaft, of a collapsible and foldable gate disposed at one side of the shaft, at the top thereof, operating means carried by said doors and operable by the opening and closing of said doors, to move said gate from aninoperative collapsed and folded position to an extended and upright operative position, and vice versa, said means including a cam track carried by each of said doors, and members carried by said gate and guided by and in ving along said cam track, and a pivoted latch for holding said gate in upright position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

CHARLES PLATZ. 

